Man claims self-defense in shooting

A man is claiming self-defense after allegedly shooting and killing a man Friday afternoon in Whitley County.

It all started with a dispute between the two men.

The Whitley County Sheriff says 40-year-old Keith Mason was admiring a creek when 60-year-old Bobby Vanover drove up and stopped.

Mason told police he pulled out a gun in self-defense and fired multiple shots.

"You shoot someone in the face, you shoot someone in the chest, and you shoot them in the lower part of the body, then this indicates I'm trying to kill this individual," said Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell.

Mason called police requesting an ambulance, but it was too late. Vanover was dead.

It happened in the middle of Ayers Road where the two men met unexpectedly according to the sheriff.

But Vanover's family does not think it was a coincidence they were both on that road at the same time.

"He was set up. He was lured there by somebody," said Shirley Hudson, who is Vanover's aunt.

Hudson along with Vanover's mother and siblings say he was murdered in cold blood.

She says she knew what happened the second she arrived on the scene.

"When we got close enough to see Bobby's truck, my worst fears came to be true. I know it was Bobby," said Hudson.

Now that her nephew is dead, Hudson says she wants justice.

Mason is charged with second degree manslaughter and is currently in the Whitley County Detention Center.

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